Permitir Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

“Permitir” is a Spanish verb that means “to permit” or “to allow.” It is a regular -ir verb, which means its conjugation follows predictable patterns across different tenses and moods.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James, and the host of the Learn Spanish With James Podcast. 

In this guide, we’ll explore all “permitir” conjugations, from the present indicative to the subjunctive and imperative moods. 

I’ll show you how “permitir” aligns with other regular -ir verbs, and provice example sentences with English translations.

After reading this guide, check out the rest of the site to find out more about Spanish verb conjugation, and how to use regular and irregular verbs in Spanish.

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permito
you	tú	permites
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	permite
we	nosotros,nosotras	permitimos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	permitís
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	permiten

When We Use the Present Tense

The present tense in Spanish is used to express actions that are currently happening, habitual actions, general truths, or future actions.

For example, “I permit” or “I allow”. Above, you’ll find the relevant “permitir” conjugation chart, and below you’ll find example sentences of the present tense.

Top Tip: 🔥Use of this verb in the present tense triggers the present subjunctive. I’ve highlighted each subjunctive form below too.

Examples of Permitir in the Present Tense

1. Yo permito que mis hijos jueguen en el parque. (I allow my children to play in the park.)
2. Tú permites que tu hermano use tu bicicleta. (You allow your brother to use your bicycle.)
3. Él/ella no permite que su perro suba al sofá. (He doesn’t allow his dog to get on the couch.)
4. Nosotros permitimos que nuestros empleados tomen descansos cortos. (We allow our employees to take short breaks.)
5. Vosotros permitís que vuestros hijos vean televisión los fines de semana. (You allow your children to watch TV on weekends.)
6. Ellos/ellas/ ustedes no permiten que se fume en el área de la piscina. (They don’t allow smoking in the pool area.)

Preterite Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permití
you	tú	permitiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	permitió
we	nosotros, nosotras	permitimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	permitisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	permitieron

When We Use the Preterite Tense

The preterite tense in Spanish is used to express actions that were completed in the past at a specific point in time.

For example, “I allowed” or “I permitted”. Do not confuse this with the imperfect tense, which is used to express an ongoing action (more on this shortly).

Top Tip: 🔥 Use of this verb in the preterite tense triggers the imperfect subjunctive form. I’ve highlighted examples of each imperfect subjunctive use below too.

Examples of Permitir in the Preterite Tense

1. Yo permití que mi amigo usara mi coche el fin de semana pasado. (I allowed my friend to use my car last weekend.)
2. Tú no permitiste que nadie entrara a la fiesta sin invitación. (You didn’t allow anyone to enter the party without an invitation.)
3. Él/ella permitió que su hijo se quedara despierto hasta tarde en su cumpleaños. (He allowed his son to stay up late on his birthday.)
4. Nosotros permitimos que se celebrara la reunión en nuestra casa. (We allowed the meeting to be held at our house.)
5. Vosotros permitisteis que los niños jugaran en el jardín. (You allowed the children to play in the garden.)
6. Ellos/ellas/ustedes no permitieron que se tomara fotografías dentro del museo. (They didn’t allow taking pictures inside the museum.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permitía
you	tú	permitías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	permitía
we	nosotros, nosotras	permitíamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	permitíais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	permitían

When We Use the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense in Spanish is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, habitual, or repeated. 

Literally, it means both “I was allowing” or “I used to allow”.

Each “permitir” conjugation in the imperfect tense follows regular patterns, making it nice and easy for you to learn.

Top Tip: 🔥 You’ll notice that the imperfect tense with this verb triggers the imperfect subjunctive form. I’ve highlighted examples of each imperfect subjunctive use below too.

Examples of Permitir in the Imperfect Tense

1. Yo permitía que mis hijos jugaran en el parque todos los días. (I used to allow my children to play in the park every day.)
2. Tú permitías que tu hermana te acompañara al colegio. (You used to allow your sister to accompany you to school.)
3. Él/ella no permitía que su gato saliera de casa. (He didn’t allow his cat to go out of the house.)
4. Nosotros permitíamos que nuestros amigos nos visitaran los fines de semana. (We used to allow our friends to visit us on weekends.)
5. Vosotros permitíais que se hicieran fiestas en vuestra casa. (You used to allow parties to be held in your house.)
6. Ellos/ Ellas siempre permitían que se compartieran ideas libremente en las reuniones. (They always allowed ideas to be freely shared in the meetings.)

Future Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permitiré
you	tú	permitirás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	permitirá
we	nosotros,nosotras	permitiremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	permitiréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	permitirán

When We Use the Future Tense

The future tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will happen in the future.

I’ve provided examples of each “permitir” conjugation in the future tense below.

Examples of Permitir in the Future Tense

1. Yo permitiré que mis hijos elijan su propia carrera universitaria. (I will allow my children to choose their own college major.)
2. Tú permitirás que se organicen eventos culturales en el pueblo. (You will allow cultural events to be organized in the town.)
3. Él/ella permitirá que se instalen cámaras de seguridad en el vecindario. (He will allow security cameras to be installed in the neighborhood.)
4. Nosotros permitiremos que se utilicen bicicletas eléctricas en el parque. (We will allow electric bikes to be used in the park.)
5. Vosotros permitiréis que se celebren fiestas en la plaza del pueblo. (You will allow parties to be held in the town square.)
6. Ellos permitirán que se construyan nuevas viviendas en la zona. (They will allow new houses to be built in the area.)

Conditional Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permitiría
you	tú	permitirías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	permitiría
we	nosotros,nosotras	permitiríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	permitiríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	permitirían

When We Use the Conditional Tense

The conditional ”permitir” conjugation in Spanish is used to express actions that would happen under certain conditions or to convey polite requests.

So, remember, the future tense is “will” and the conditional tense is “would”.

Examples of Permitir in the Conditional Tense

1. Yo permitiría que mis hijos viajaran solos cuando fueran mayores. (I would allow my children to travel alone when they are older.)
2. Tú permitirías que se hicieran cambios en el plan de estudios. (You would allow changes to be made to the curriculum.)
3. Él/ella permitiría que se usara el salón de actos para la obra de teatro. (He would allow the auditorium to be used for the play.)
4. Nosotros permitiríamos que se pintaran murales en las paredes del colegio. (We would allow murals to be painted on the school walls.)
5. Vosotros permitiríais que se realizaran excursiones escolares fuera del país. (You would allow school trips abroad to be organized.)
6. Ellas permitirían que se trajeran mascotas al parque siempre y cuando estén controladas. (They would allow pets to be brought to the park as long as they are controlled.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	he	permitido
you	tú	has	permitido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	permitido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	permitido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	permitido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	permitido

When We Use the Perfect Tense

The preterite tense, also known as the pretérito perfecto in Spanish, is used to express actions that have been completed recently or that still have an impact on the present.

In order to conjugate “permitir” in the preterite perfect tense, you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb ”haber” and add the past participle of “permitir” – “permitido”.

This is also the structure for the remaining tenses we’ll cover in this guide. 

Examples of Permitir in the Perfect Tense

1. Yo he permitido que se hagan cambios en el proyecto. (I have allowed changes to be made to the project.)
2. Tú has permitido que se instale un nuevo sistema de seguridad. (You have allowed a new security system to be installed.)
3. Él/ella ha permitido que se celebren eventos en el jardín. (He has allowed events to be held in the garden.)
4. Nosotros hemos permitido que se amplíe el plazo de entrega. (We have allowed the deadline to be extended.)
5. Vosotros habéis permitido que se realicen reformas en el edificio. (You have allowed renovations to be carried out in the building.)
6. Ellas han permitido que se lleve a cabo una encuesta de satisfacción. (They have allowed a satisfaction survey to be conducted.)

Pluperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	había	permitido
you	tú	habías	permitido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	permitido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	permitido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	permitido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	permitido

When We Use the Pluperfect Tense

The pluperfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that had been completed before another past action. 

As explained, in order to conjugate the Spanish verb “permitir” in the pluperfect tense, you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb ”haber” add the past participle of “permitir” – “permitido”.

Look at the “permitir” conjugation chart above and the examples below to see this in context.

Examples of Permitir in the Pluperfect Tense

1. Yo había permitido que se realizaran cambios en el contrato antes de la reunión. (I had allowed changes to be made to the contract before the meeting.)
2. Tú habías permitido que se utilizara el aula para la presentación. (You had allowed the classroom to be used for the presentation.)
3. Él había permitido que se cancelara la reserva con anticipación. (He had allowed the reservation to be canceled in advance.)
4. Nosotros habíamos permitido que se modificaran los planes de viaje. (We had allowed the travel plans to be modified.)
5. Vosotros habíais permitido que se probara el nuevo producto antes del lanzamiento. (You had allowed the new product to be tested before the launch.)
6. Ellas habían permitido que se reservara una mesa en el restaurante para la cena. (They had allowed a table to be reserved at the restaurant for dinner.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habré	permitido
you	tú	habrás	permitido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	permitido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	permitido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	permitido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	permitido

When We Use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.

Again, to conjugate “permitir” in the preterite perfect, you need the auxiliary verb ”haber” and the past participle.

Examples of Permitir in the Future Perfect Tense

1. Yo habré permitido que se terminen las obras de construcción para el próximo mes. (I will have allowed the construction works to be finished by next month.)
2. Tú habrás permitido que se realicen las reparaciones antes de que llegue el invierno. (You will have allowed the repairs to be done before winter arrives.)
3. Él habrá permitido que se recojan las muestras antes de la fecha límite. (He will have allowed the samples to be collected before the deadline.)
4. Nosotros habremos permitido que se contraten nuevos empleados para el próximo trimestre. (We will have allowed new employees to be hired for the next quarter.)
5. Vosotros habréis permitido que se establezcan nuevas normas de seguridad para el año que viene. (You will have allowed new safety regulations to be established for next year.)
6. Ellas habrán permitido que se preparen los documentos necesarios antes de la reunión. (They will have allowed the necessary documents to be prepared before the meeting.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’	Past Participle
I	yo	habría	permitido
you	tú	habrías	permitido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	permitido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	permitido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	permitido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	permitido

When We Use the Conditional Perfect Tense

The conditional perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would have been completed under certain conditions in the past.

Examples of Permitir in the Conditional Perfect Tense

1. Yo habría permitido que se hicieran cambios si me lo hubieran pedido con anticipación. (I would have allowed changes if they had asked me in advance.)
2. Tú habrías permitido que se cancelara el evento si hubiera habido mal tiempo. (You would have allowed the event to be canceled if the weather had been bad.)
3. Él habría permitido que se llevaran a cabo las obras si hubiera tenido el permiso necesario. (He would have allowed the works to be carried out if he had had the necessary permission.)
4. Nosotros habríamos permitido que se extendiera el plazo si hubiéramos sabido antes. (We would have allowed the deadline to be extended if we had known earlier.)
5. Vosotros habríais permitido que se modificara el proyecto si hubiera sido necesario. (You would have allowed the project to be modified if it had been necessary.)
6. Ellos/ ellas habrían permitido que se realizaran cambios si hubieran tenido más tiempo. (They would have allowed changes to be made if they had had more time.)

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permita
you	tú	permitas
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	permita
we	nosotros,nosotras	permitamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	permitáis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	permitan

When We Use the Present Subjunctive

In Spanish, the present subjunctive is used to express desires, doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations.

I won’t dive into when and how to use the subjunctive now, but the examples below show you how to conjugate “permitir” in this form. 

Examples of Permitir in the Present Subjunctive

1. Es importante que yo permita que mis hijos tomen sus propias decisiones. (It’s important that I allow my children to make their own decisions.)
2. Espero que tú permitas que se realicen cambios en el plan. (I hope you allow changes to be made to the plan.)
3. Quiero que él permita que se lleve a cabo la reunión como estaba planeado. (I want him to allow the meeting to take place as planned.)
4. Es necesario que nosotros permitamos que se discutan todas las opciones. (It’s necessary that we allow all options to be discussed.)
5. Prefiero que vosotros permitáis que se pruebe el nuevo producto antes de lanzarlo. (I prefer that you allow the new product to be tested before launching it.)
6. Sugiero que ellos/ellas permitan que se exploren diferentes alternativas. (I suggest that they allow different alternatives to be explored.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
I	yo	permitiera
you	tú	permitieras
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	permitiera
we	nosotros,nosotras	permitiéramos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	permitierais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	permitieran

When We Use the Imperfect Subjunctive

We’ve seen examples of the imperfect subjunctive already. This tense in Spanish is used to express desires, doubts, wishes, or hypothetical situations in the past.

Every ”permitir” conjugation follows the natural, regular pattern in this form.

Examples of Permitir in the Imperfect Subjunctive

1. Prefería que yo permitiera que se hicieran cambios en el proyecto. (I preferred that I allowed changes to be made to the project.)
2. Dudaba que tú permitieras que se instalaran nuevas medidas de seguridad. (I doubted that you allowed new security measures to be installed.)
3. Era importante que él permitiera que se cancelara el evento si fuera necesario. (It was important that he allowed the event to be canceled if necessary.)
4. Queríamos que nosotros permitiéramos que se modificara el horario de trabajo. (We wanted us to allow the work schedule to be modified.)
5. Esperábamos que vosotros permitierais que se llevaran a cabo las obras de mejora. (We hoped you allowed the improvement works to be carried out.)
6. Era necesario que ellas permitieran que se discutieran todas las opciones antes de tomar una decisión. (It was necessary that they allowed all options to be discussed before making a decision.)

Affirmative Imperative 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡permite!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡permita!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡permitamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡permitid!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡permitan!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Spanish is used to give commands or requests in a direct and affirmative manner.

Examples of Permitir in the Affirmative Imperative

• ¡Permite que tus hijos jueguen afuera! (Allow your children to play outside!)
• Permita que su perro descanse después del paseo. (Allow your dog to rest after the walk.)
• Permitamos que la naturaleza siga su curso. (Let’s allow nature to take its course.)
• ¡Permitid que los estudiantes participen en la discusión! (Allow the students to participate in the discussion!)
• Permitan que los empleados tomen un descanso breve. (Allow the employees to take a short break.)

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres	Conjugation
you	tú	¡no permitas!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no permita!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no permitamos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no permitáis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no permitan!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative in Spanish is used to give commands or requests in a direct and negative manner.

All you need to do is add “no” to make it negative, and follow the subjunctive pattern.

Examples of Permitir in the Negative Imperative

• No permitas que los niños jueguen con fuego. (Don’t allow the children to play with fire.)
• No permita que se desperdicie comida. (Don’t allow food to be wasted.)
• No permitamos que el miedo nos paralice. (Let’s not allow fear to paralyze us.)
• ¡No permitáis que la contaminación siga aumentando! (Don’t allow pollution to continue increasing!)
• No permitan que los clientes esperen demasiado tiempo. (Don’t allow the customers to wait too long.)

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